Weekend News Brief

Paroled Murderer pleads guilty to production and possession of Child Porn.  48 year old Israel Rivera-Reyes of Rochester pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to production of child pornography. Between August 2021 and February 2022, Rivera-Reyes had sexual intercourse with a Minor Victim on an almost daily basis, knowing that the victim was a minor. During this time, Rivera-Reyes produced multiple videos of himself engaging in sexual intercourse with the Minor Victim. At the time of his arrest, Rivera-Reyes was on parole for a March 1995 conviction of Murder 2nd Degree.  The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. 

A 24 year old Rochester Woman has been convicted of assault on an airplane.  April 19, 2022, Cynthia McKnight was a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Buffalo to Chicago. After the aircraft’s doors were closed, and while the aircraft was still on the ground, McKnight made her way to the front of the aircraft and engaged in a verbal altercation with one passenger, then spat on another passenger. As a result, the plane had to return to the gate. McKnight then tried to jump out of the plane while it was taxiing, pushing a flight attendant in the process who had attempted to prevent her from opening the door. McKnight was able to open the door, which deployed an emergency slide, and jumped.  The Assault charge was for the spitting and pushing.  She was sentenced to time served and 3 years of probation.

The construction project to restore the front of the Former Sheriffs Office building on West Main Street in Batavia is nearly done.  It cost nearly 1.8 million dollars to do a restoration of the brick and Medina sandstone façade.  The contract for the work was awarded to Montante Construction last June after the County Legislature realized that delaying the restoration project had only driven up the cost.  The façade of the historic structure was crumbling, with large bits of sandstone falling away from the building.  Workers removed all the sandstone and restored the underlying masonry before putting the sandstone back in place.  Currently, the former Sheriff’s Office is the office of Genesee Justice, but Genesee Justice, and the jail behind it, will relocate later this year to the new jail facility being built by County Building #2 on West Main Street Road.  County Manager Matt Landers said Thursday evening that the county is still evaluating possible uses for the building and is going to have SMRT, the architectural firm working with the new county on the new jail, assist in that evaluation process.

There are a lot of ceremonies and observances planned for Memorial Day on Monday.  All ceremonies will include full military honors: Wreath Laying, Rifle Salute & Taps.  Here is a list of those taking place in Batavia:  At 7 The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 193 will be at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Genesee County Park.  At 8 a ceremony will honor the 35 from Batavia who died in WW1 in a ceremony at Williams Park at the WW1 Memorial.  At 8:30 the Veterans Administration sponsors a ceremony at the Main Flagpole at the VA Medical Center.  8:45 a ceremony at the NYS Veterans Home Flagpole.  At 9:30 a memorial at the Veterans Plot on Harvester Ave to honor veterans buried at Elmwood and St Joseph’s cemeteries.  At 10 at the Upton Monument for those who died in the Civil War and all wars since.  And 10:30 at UMMC Jerome Center Genesee County War Memorial.  The memorial day parade starts at 9:45.